Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025
Of the 85 people sentenced in the District of Oregon in the Commission's "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" category in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 82 were in cases under §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender). The median prison term was 12 months, which is lower than the 18 months in all 94 fede
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 › Obscenity and Other Sex Offense: District of Oregon
In brief: Of the 85 people sentenced in the District of Oregon in the Commission's "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" category in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 82 were in cases under §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender). The median prison term was 12 months, which is lower than the 18 months in all 94 federal districts together.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 85 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
What This Offense Category Contains
The category name suggests obscenity cases, but the most common primary guideline here was §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender), with 82 people. The only other guideline listed was §2G3.1 (Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter), with 2.
The Commission assigns each case to an offense type by its primary guideline. This category is therefore mostly a count of registration offenses in Oregon. These cases were 2% of the 4,319 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The counts below describe this Commission category only, not every sex offense prosecuted in the district.
Length of Prison Terms
81 of the 85 people (95%) received a prison term, and 3 (4%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 12 months. A quarter received 17 months or more, and a quarter received 3 months or less.
For all districts, 95% were sent to prison. The median for all offenses in the District of Oregon was 32 months, which is higher. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 10 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2017 | 6 | 7.3 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2018 | 7 | 20.6 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2019 | 8 | 5 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2020 | 12 | 12.9 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 14 | 12 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 9 | 12 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2023 | 8 | 15 months | 7 of 8 |
| 2024 | 7 | 12 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2025 | 9 | 12 months | 9 of 9 |
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
Within the guideline range: 21% (18 people). Below the range at the government's request: 42% (35). Below the range without a government request: 35% (29). Above the range: 2% (2).
In all districts, 54% of sentences in this category were within the range. A mandatory minimum applied to 0 of the 85 people.
Pleas and Plea Agreements
84 of 85 people (99%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 12 months. The person convicted at trial and sent to prison received 14 months, and a single case cannot support a comparison.
Among guilty pleas, 98% had a written plea agreement and 2% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Supervised Release After Prison
81 people (95%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 60 months, and 1 person (1%) received supervised release for life. No fine or restitution was ordered for anyone.
By criminal history, 11% were in the lowest category and 13% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts and Limits
26 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 59 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The fiscal year runs October 1 to the end of September. Each year has 5 to 14 people, so the yearly medians describe small groups and do not show a trend.
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Oregon (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Oregon") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" (85). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.